


M.I.A

by DaniJayNel



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Canon Divergent, F/F, Mikasasha - Freeform, Oneshot, Side YumiKuri, Titans, based on canon, specific request
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-11-07 16:44:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20820542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaniJayNel/pseuds/DaniJayNel
Summary: After a mission gone awry, Sasha ends up M.I.A after an ambush. Unable to go back to look for her, Mikasa has no choice but to return to the walls to complete their mission of escorting a group of rebels to their Queen. Later, Mikasa sneaks out on her own to find Sasha. When she finds her, she's determined to tell Sasha how she feels about her, and she desperately hopes that Sasha hangs on long enough to be found.





	M.I.A

Ymir’s snore was but a whisper of a sound, and Historia always found it amusing that her obnoxiously loud and opinionated lover breathed so softly in her sleep, when she was so outward when awake. Historia had woken much earlier, but instead of getting out of her massive, luxurious bed, she had decided to simply lay there and stare at Ymir’s freckled, peaceful face.

Ymir’s brow furrowed for a moment, but smoothed immediately when Historia trailed her fingertips down the dip of Ymir’s spine. Historia studied the side of her face, the long hair tickling her cheek and fanned across her pillow. She had almost lost this, once, when Ymir had hesitated in the battlefield and almost left with Reiner and Berthold, but reconsidered at the last second.

Her chest ached, knowing Ymir would have most likely left her for a cruel death had she gone. After uncovering the secrets to Eren’s basement, and discovering the truth about everything, they knew that nothing kind waited beyond the coastlines of Paradis.

Historia wanted to lay there for the entirety of the day and just stare at Ymir for as long as she could, but her duty as the Queen usually put a stamp on such selfish desires. Just after Historia snuggled closer and pressed her cheek to Ymir’s warm shoulder, a knock at her door roused her from a light slumber.

Sighing yet again, Historia slipped a robe over her body and went to answer the door. She recognized the boy standing there, his hair ruffled from the wind and his cheeks crimson from the flight in.

“Your Majesty,” he greeted her, dipping his head slightly.

She gave him a pleasant smile. “Good morning. Is there a message for me?”

He nodded and held a folded paper out. Historia recognized her royal crest sealing the letter shut, and her heart did a jump in her chest. She immediately accepted the letter, shut the door and walked over to her window to settle down on the sill and crack the seal open.

_ To her Majesty of Paradis, Historia Reiss, _ the letter started. Historia read through the whole thing and then shredded it to pieces when she was done.

A few months back, they had received a strange letter from a group operating outside of Paradis, offering information for an alliance. They claimed to be anti-Marley and would assist in whichever way they could to give Paradis as much leverage over Marley as they could. At first Historia had been hesitant to believe the message, but the information they received proved vital, and she learnt that sometimes they had to accept the risk and take the help when they needed it.

This group of rebels had returned and were docked at their coastline, and they requested an audience with the queen to relay the latest information they had received. Before, Hange and the others had ridden out to meet with them, and this was the first time they were requesting to see her specifically.

That meant whatever they had to say, it needed to be in person.

Navigating the political field was tiring, especially when all Historia wanted to do was spend her days in Ymir’s arms or outside, running after the orphan children (that Ymir always jokingly said they would adopt—all of them), but her duty as the Queen had to come first. Until Paradis had every confidence that Marley would not attack them and enslave or decimate its people, they couldn’t afford to rest.

Historia went to her lover and gently shook her awake by the shoulder. When Ymir’s bleary brown eyes cracked open, she released a disgruntled groan.

“Wake up, Ymir,” Historia told her, smiling. “I need you.”

Ymir turned over onto her back, the blanket slipping from her nude form. Historia couldn’t help but appreciate the view of her freckled, brown skin. “Mm? Then why’d you get out of bed?”

Her chest warmed. “The Queen needs you.”

At that, Ymir sat up and swept her messy long hair from her face. “Oh, okay.” She reached for her clip that always sat on the bedside table, and gathered her hair into a messy bun. It was longer than Historia had ever seen it, and though there was a certain allure to Ymir peering at her from a curtain of chocolatey brown hair, she did quite miss the more masculine look of short hair, and even more the closely cropped style. Maybe she would ask Ymir to consider cutting it again.

“I received a letter,” Historia told her. She reached out to take Ymir’s hand and eagerly pressed against her when Ymir tugged her closer. Ymir’s nose brushed along the side of her neck, making her shiver.

“The spies?”

“Yes. They’ve arrived at the port. They need an escort here.”

At that, Ymir pulled away. “An escort? Won’t Hange ride out to meet them?”

She shook her head. “No, they say they need an urgent audience with me.”

“That’s suspect.”

“We can trust them.”

Ymir snorted. “In this world, you can’t trust anyone but yourself.”

Historia gave Ymir a soft smile of affection. She cupped the side of her face, swept her thumb across her freckles there. “You’re absolutely right. But I also have a gut feeling that they genuinely need to see me urgently, so I want you to use your intuition and gather a squad of trustworthy people to take with you to meet them.”

“You want me to go?”

Historia finally frowned. “I hate to send you out, but you’re the only one I can absolutely trust to make sure nothing happens.”

Ymir gave her a broad, smug smile. “Being the Queen’s lover has its perks.”

Historia kissed her softly on the lips. “Oh please, it has nothing to do with you being my lover.”

“Don’t lie to me. You’re a terrible liar.”

Historia forced herself to leave the warmth of Ymir to pad over to her wardrobe and dress for the day. She strapped on her military uniform, even though she was always advised to wear the many luxurious dresses the military police had made for her. She didn’t want to look prim and pampered. She wanted to look powerful.

“And you’re insufferable,” Historia finally countered. “So, will you do this for me?”

Ymir was already up, struggling into her boots and slipping the straps over her long, lean body. “Of course,” she said. “When do you need us to leave?”

“Within the hour,” she answered. “Gather everyone and meet me in the throne room. I want to give a brief of the mission, and then you can be on your way.”

With sure fingers and practised motions, Historia finished dressing before Ymir, and left the room to send an urgent message to Hange. 

XxX

Mikasa pumped her legs hard as she ran the perimeter of wall Sina. Her gear rattled loudly and her muscles burned with warmth from the exercise, but this was hardly enough to really tire her. After fighting against titans once, any other physical exertion felt like nothing.

Sasha had been asleep when Mikasa got up early that morning, when the sky was still grey and the air filled with fresh moisture. She loved to run so early in the morning, and she pushed herself harder each time to make a full lap around the wall. It was an insane challenge, but it kept her fighting for more.

She stayed in the castle with the others of the 104th, all of them chosen to protect the Queen. Mikasa thought of Historia, which made her immediately think of Ymir and she remembered the incident last week where the two of them had been walked in on while making out atop the throne. Remembering that, Mikasa felt her cheeks warm. She pretended it was from the cool air whipping against her face. If was really from thinking about Sasha, just her roommate, but who she wanted much more with.

Mikasa's run broke into a jog and then stilled to a stop when someone swept up onto the wall ahead of her. When they straightened, Mikasa recognized Ymir's grey shirt. Her chest tightened with anxiety, but Ymir was only giving her the usual complimentary glare, nothing new.

"I need you for a mission," Ymir told her immediately when Mikasa paused in front of her.

"A mission?"

"Queenie's orders. Where is Sasha?"

Mikasa wiped a hand over her sweaty face. "Still sleeping."

"Well, wake her up and bring her to the throne room. Historia wants to give a briefing. I need to gather the others."

She wasted no more time and leaped off the wall, steam bellowing out as she soared by the closest house towards the business district. Mikasa stared after her for only a moment, wondering what Historia even saw in someone so abrupt and harsh. There was nothing about Ymir that was attractive to Mikasa, but she supposed Historia probably saw another side to her entirely. 

Mikasa was fine if she never saw that side.

Following orders, Mikasa jumped from the wall and made her way to the castle. Not many used the 3DMG within wall Sina save for the Queen’s guard and the scouts when they were in. The military police preferred solid ground, but Mikasa loved the sensation of weightlessness, the wind roaring against her body and the burn of strain manoeuvring caused.

She skipped the castle entrance and soared through the open window to her shared room with Sasha, landing in a practised roll that ended on the heels of her feet. She straightened, her gear rattling with a metallic clank. Sasha roused immediately, shooting up in bed with wide eyes and a startled gasp.

The curtain bellowed once, then settled. Mikasa studied Sasha’s dishevelled hair, tired eyes and drooping sleep shirt and her chest squeezed hard. 

“Good morning,” she greeted calmly.

Sasha squinted at her. “Did you just fly in through the window?”

“I did. Historia needs us. Ymir’s orders.”

Sasha’s beautiful eyes widened even more. Mikasa worried they would roll right out. “The Queen needs us?”

“A mission.”

Sasha tossed her blanket to the side and hopped off the bunk, but got her foot caught in her blanket in true Sasha style. She yelped as she toppled over too quickly for Mikasa to catch her, as much as she tried. She only ended up grabbing Sasha’s wrist, but she still ended up face planted to the floor, her sleep shirt riding up to reveal her bare backside.

Mikasa blinked in surprise at the sight of Sasha’s ass, then released her and crossed the room in three long strides. She curled her fingers around the metal of the door handle, clearing her throat.

“I’ll wait in the hallway while you get dressed.”

She didn’t turn to see Sasha’s reaction, and hurried out before Sasha saw the suspicious red tint to her ears.

XxX

_ I cannot believe that Mikasa just saw my whole ass _ , Sasha thought in distress as she struggled with the stupid straps. She accidentally slapped herself with them so many times, but she managed to get everything on, slip her boots and uniform jacket on, barely managed to get her hair into a neat ponytail and then scrambled from the room. 

She stumbled on her way out but didn’t fall this time, as a warm hand clamped down on her upper arm and yanked her back up. She ended up pressed to Mikasa’s side. Mikasa gave her a lifted brow, her grey eyes calm like the ocean at night. She didn’t seem upset, not even amused, just stoic, and Sasha really wished she could tell what was going on in that beautiful head of hers.

“Sorry,” she mumbled as she pulled away, face flushed. “I, er, tripped.”

Mikasa released her arm. “Clumsiness is part of your character. I’m not surprised.”

Sasha gaped. “Is not!”

A dark brow lifted in question, and Mikasa’s expression dared her to argue again. She laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her neck.

“I guess yer right.” She cringed inwardly at her slip in accent, but Mikasa didn’t seem to notice—or if she did, she didn’t care.

Together they left the back wing of the castle for the throne room, the last to arrive. Ymir glared at them but Historia greeted them with a glowing smile. When they sat, a wad of paper bounced off her forehead and she turned to see Connie glaring at her as well.

“Sleep late again, Meat Girl?”

Sasha kicked him under the table. “Did not! Quit with the mean names.”

“Not mean if they’re true.”

“Well yer a baldy then, baldy.”

Historia clapped her hands together, silencing their childish bickering and Eren and Armin’s conversation. Everyone lifted their faces towards their Queen, their friend and comrade. 

“Thank you for gathering,” Historia started. “As Ymir mentioned to each of you, I need a group of trusted individuals to escort the band of rebels here. They docked last night, and Yelena sent word by bird. She says that it’s urgent and that they need safe passage into the walls.”

“Why not just grab some horses and ride here?” Jean asked. “Why the need for a whole military escort?”

Ymir turned her glower on Jean, but she didn’t say anything to him. The only person she ever went out of her way to show respect to was Historia. Sasha envied them—the love they had. She couldn’t help herself and peeked at Mikasa, but she was fully focused on Historia. She sighed, doubtful Mikasa would ever return her feelings.

“Yelena says they were almost exposed. She fears one if the rebels is a double spy. They were ambushed, but managed to escape in time. They fear that Marley has something else planned.”

“So, we gear up and bring them here safely?” Eren asked. “Sounds easy.”

“There might be an ambush,” Armin added. “If their traitor spy is still with them, then Marley would have already received word that they are here seeking refuge.”

“Exactly,” Historia agreed. “I asked Ymir to gather a group that she trusts. Clearly, that’s all of you.” Looks of surprise passed over everyone’s faces. Sasha grinned, pleased to see that Ymir had a heart in there somewhere. Whenever she argued with someone that Ymir actually cared a lot, Sasha was always laughed at. But this was clear evidence that at some point Ymir had decided they were worth something, and from the flush over her freckles and the uncomfortable look on her face, she was embarrassed for being exposed like that. The shine of mischief in Historia’s eyes meant she knew exactly what she had done. 

“So stop asking questions,” Ymir told them, “and just say ‘yes your Majesty, we will do as you wish’.”

Connie snorted and leaned over to whisper to Jean. “Pussy whipped,” he said.

“More like disgusting,” Jean grumbled back.

“You’re just jealous,” Connie countered, “that you don’t have a Queen for a girlfriend.”

“Shut up, baldy.”

“Hey!”

Mikasa cleared her throat. “We should leave immediately and expect an ambush. The sooner we get the rebels into wall Sina, the sooner we can root out the traitor spy. Sitting here and making comments at each other gets us nowhere.”

“Thank you, Mikasa,” Historia said. “I need you all to leave within the next ten minutes. You will rendezvous with Levi once you exit wall Maria.” She pressed her fist to her heart and sent Ymir a worried glance. “I trust that you will all return safely.”

They stood, but Sasha lingered and saw the way Historia pulled Ymir aside, how Ymir bent down to press a soft kiss against her lips. Historia clutched at Ymir like she was terrified to let her go, but then she did, and Sasha turned to see Mikasa staring at her. They said nothing as they left, but Sasha’s chest ached.

XxX 

Mikasa and Armin discussed strategy as they travelled all the way to Shiganshina. Eren grew quiet when they rode through the still deserted streets. Most of Shiganshina had been rebuilt, but so many of its locals weren’t alive to return. Historia was working with a lot of the displaced families to move them back into the reclaimed land. Shiganshina being ground zero, many were hesitant. Even though the streets had been cleaned, many claimed they could still smell rotting corpses and the stench of blood. There was also the constant worry of another attack.

They met with Levi at the massive wall gate, all astride their horses. He glared at them in greeting, then turned his horse to face the opening gate.

Sasha swallowed. She knew they had cleaned the island up of rogue titans. She knew it was safe enough that they had outposts all over the empty land. Yet, still she felt that familiar feeling of fear and anxiety. Before, when they went through this gate it was towards certain death. Every time Sasha returned with the few scouts left, she had no idea how she was still alive.

Mikasa guided her horse closer. “Sasha, are you okay?”

Always calm, always stoic. Was Mikasa even capable of being nervous? Did her bloodline give her this ability, to stare death and uncertainty in the face without blinking, ready and expectant? 

“I’m fine. Just jittery.”

The smallest crease formed at Mikasa’s brow. “I’ll protect you,” she said. “So you don’t need to worry. Whatever happens, I’ll make sure you make it back here safe and alive.”

Sasha’s heart fluttered and she tried to smile. “But who will protect you, then?”

The gate finally finished its ascent. Their horses shifted with restless energy. 

Mikasa shrugged. “I protect myself.”

Before Sasha could argue, Levi kicked his horse into motion and the rest of them followed. Everyone had serious, focused looks on their faces and Sasha couldn’t help but remember all of those terrible things from the past.

Her stomach cramped. She hoped this went quickly and without injury or casualty. 

It took them 2 hours of hard riding to reach the first outpost, where they changed their horses, replenished their water and then headed out. 

There were various outposts all over the island, some with the intent of turning into farmland. A few brave people accepted the request to build homes and live there. Historia’s aim was to free the people of the walls and populate the entire island. They needed the land and the freedom, and she wanted the people to see the beauty of the ocean.

Another 2 hours had them finally reach the outpost by the coast, where they had a small military watch constantly guarding the dock. A small ship bobbed ever so gently in the water, but there were no people in sight. 

“Whoa,” Levi said, hopping off his horse and pulling his blades out. “It’s too quiet.”

Everyone else followed. The horses wandered off to graze, while they all followed quietly behind Levi as he approached the building and took its steps slowly. Half way up they heard the sound of laughter and cheering, and when Levi slammed the door open, they were met with the soldiers and rebels drinking and cheering over a game of cards. 

At the sight of Levi, all of them went silent. Sasha allowed herself to relax. Mikasa still looked on edge, like she didn’t quite trust this scene and the people. At least they hadn’t walked in on a slaughter, just what seemed to be a party.

A tall man with scruffy hair on his chin scrambled to his feet, dropping his cards to the table. “Levi, Sir!” He saluted with a fist to his heart. “We weren’t expecting you for another hour.”

Levi gave him a disgusted look. “So your solution is to abandon your watch to play cards?” His glare darkened. “We left immediately to escort them to the Queen as soon as possible.”

Sweat broke out on the man’s face. “My apologies, sir.”

“Now, now,” a voice spoke. An incredibly tall person stood from the table, discarding their cards as well. “It was all my idea. If we’re going to die, might as well be with a smile on my face.”

Levi’s lip curled. “Yelena.” He said the word like it tasted sour.

Sasha blinked, realizing that it was a woman and that she was Yelena. She had heard about her, but never met her before.

Yelena threw an arm around the man and barked out a laugh. “The little man over there saved you, Bex. I would have won the pants off your ass.”

Levi visibly seethed at her words, but he barked out an order and the rebels all followed them to the stable. They each took a horse and settled into the formation Armin had come up with. The scouts formed a 7-point star, with the rebels in the centre. They were only armed with their guns, but the scouts had their 3DMG. Levi was at the head.

In no time at all they left for the wall, but took a different route than the one taken earlier. It would take a bit longer, but it passed by the giant tree forest, the best place for them to fight with their gear. Up against Marley soldiers or even titans, they would be a fierce opponent. 

Sasha felt immense relief that they were on their way back. After cutting through the forest, they would almost be at Shiganshina.

“Ready!” Levi shouted from ahead, and Sasha stood up in the saddle. If they needed to, they would all vault into the air and defend from above.

They burst into the forest, hooves cracking hard against the dry ground. The air was unusually quiet, immediately putting Sasha on edge.

Their laboured breathing and the sounds if the horses were all they could hear. Then, as they had feared, the ambush happened.

Explosions went off and giant bodies smashed into the ground, and then all hell broke loose.

XxX

Mikasa swept into the air with practised ease, but her heart was in her throat. Titans swarmed the forest, freshly turned. Levi was already taking an absurd amount out, while the others circled the group of rebels and got them safely in the trees. 

In the chaos, Mikasa searched for Sasha. When she saw her slice the nape of an ugly little titan, she expelled a breath and then climbed higher in the trees. She spotted the Marley soldiers before they saw her, and she went for them like a demon from hell. She cut down three before they realized she was there, and they tried to flee on their own 3DMG. Their gear was designed for flight and not combat, and they were all wobbly as they tried to exit the forest. Mikasa caught up to them easily and cut every one of them down.

She didn’t blink at taking human life. That was just her duty now.

“Mikasa!”

She headed back to the group to find them all mounted again, with Eren holding the reins to her horse. She landed and dropped into the seat, then they all rode hard out of the forest. There were a few titans straggling behind, but Levi seemed more interested in getting out than staying to fight. They couldn’t afford a second ambush, either. 

They left the forest with an audible exhale of relief, and no titans seemed to follow them. Mikasa immediately did a headcount. 

The rebels seemed to have lost two people, and from the blood on their clothes, they were most likely eaten. Levi was up ahead, Eren and Armin were close by and Connie, Ymir Jean were fine, though a bit bruised. Sasha was… Sasha was gone.

“Stop!” she shouted. “We left Sasha behind!”

“Don’t you dare stop,” Levi shouted back. “We are lucky those ugly bastards didn’t follow us out. If we go back now, we might not have such luck. You really want to fight those things out here?”

Mikasa felt like her heart was breaking in her chest. “But Levi—”

“But nothing!” he snarled. “We proceed to the walls. We can send a search party in the morning.”

“Fine, then let me go alone.” She galloped beside him and ignored the stares she was getting. “I’ll find her and bring her back.”

Levi’s glare was cutting. “We left a lot of titans back there. We don’t know if there might be another ambush. If you go back there alone, you’ll throw your life away.”

“But, Sasha—”

“Has survived so far,” he cut in. “Have faith she can defend herself until we return. The sooner we get back, the sooner we can search for her.”

Mikasa kept silent after that. Her heart and mind were at war. What Levi said was true. They couldn’t turn back to find her, not with the unarmed rebels still with them. They couldn’t split up either and reduce their forces. She just had to soldier on and hope Sasha was still alive out there, and she would search for her the second she was allowed. 

When they reached an outpost, they stopped to get fresh horses and eat. All of them were solemn, and Connie looked like he was on the verge of tears. Eren didn’t even have his usual fire, and he barely ate. Mikasa couldn’t stand being around them, so she left the room and went to the stables outside. There, grazing calmly on her own was Sasha’s horse. 

Mikasa’s heart leapt. “Sasha!?” she shouted, running towards the horse, who startled at her yell. “Sasha!” She skidded around the stable, but it was just the horse. 

The others rushed out to join her, and when they saw Mikasa standing there with the horse, they seemed to realize it too.

“Her horse made it out,” Jean said quietly. 

“She… She can’t survive out here without a horse,” Connie cried out. “She’ll run out of gas! What will she do then? Run from the titans?”

“She’s either hiding in the forest,” Levi interjected, eyes hard, “or already titan shit.”

Mikasa’s control snapped. She stormed up to Levi and grabbed the front of his shirt, but he didn’t try to defend himself. She ground her teeth hard together and glared into his eyes, but she knew it wasn’t fair to blame him for anything. He was just telling the truth.

Armin put his hand on her wrist, and she released her grip. Levi turned and went for his horse.

“We’ll find her,” Armin said.

“Let’s go!” Levi commanded.

They all mounted and headed out. When wall Maria came into view, Mikasa felt sick. She had promised to protect Sasha. Now she was returning without her. The second she could, she would slip away. No matter what, she needed to find Sasha and bring her back.

Mikasa couldn’t handle losing yet another person that she loved.

XxX

It had been a simple misjudgement on her part that put Sasha in this situation. Her horse was gone, her blades were blunt and her gas was finished. If she hadn’t stumbled upon a random cabin at the edge of the woods, then she would have drowned in a titan’s belly. But she had hit her head and dried blood covered her face, and she was cold and hungry as she hid quietly in the cabin basement. If not for the small trap door that led into this underground room, then Sasha would have been caught by the small titan that had been chasing her. He had desperately tried to get through the hole, and he was still hanging there, his arm stuck through and half his face peering at her.

Drool dripped from his lips as he stared at her, but it was night so he was mostly docile. Every so often his eye would flutter shut, but he would open it again to continue staring, and Sasha wished she had a sharp enough blade to kill him. It was so damn creepy, and she was too afraid to sleep in case he managed to squeeze in and she woke up in his jaws. 

There wasn’t much in this room, mostly boxes of supplies such as wood and stone and paper. A lot of the wood was already ruined and the paper crumbled when she opened the box. There was no food, nothing to use as a blanket and no object to use as a weapon. If the titan didn’t get lost, she would die of dehydration. 

Would anyone come back for her? There were other footsteps outside, a lot of titans lazily lumbering around in the dark. She stared at the titan watching her, and she wondered who he used to be. What was it like to be a titan? Ymir had said it was like an endless nightmare. Sasha didn’t want to know.

Her eyes felt heavy, but she forced herself to stay up. She stared at the titan as he stared at her, and she filled her mind with problems to solve and imagined arguments just to stay awake. She pictured being at home, with her Ma and Pa, and she imagined cooking a big meal for the whole family. Sasha thought about the ingredients and preparation, cutting and chopping and the warm smell of cooking food.

She was hungry and in pain, but that was the only thing keeping her awake. She wasn’t sure how much more of this she could take, but she knew she had no choice. She had to try. Either someone came to find her, or she figured out a way to take the titan on and somehow made her way back to the wall.

For the moment, she just continued distracting herself to stay awake.

XxX

The moment they arrived at the castle, Levi escorted the rebels to Historia. Mikasa was drained and exhausted, and she knew it showed on her face when Eren and Armin crowded near to give her a group hug. She gratefully wrapped her arms around them, even as tears rushed up and threatened to spill out, but she held them back.

“We’ll find her,” Armin said against her shoulder. “We’re all worried. Sasha is a warrior and she won’t give up so easily.”

“Yeah,” Eren agreed. “First thing in the morning we’ll set out. We’ll get her back.”

Mikasa pulled away from them and stared. Did they know? Was her feelings for Sasha so obvious? Armin’s look was knowing, but perhaps Eren was a bit oblivious. Still, she was grateful to them. Even Jean and Connie lingered, Connie looked like he had just been widowed. Mikasa knew he and Sasha were like siblings, so she went over and pulled him into a hug, too. He made a strangled noise of surprise.

“I’ll bring her back,” she promised him, voice firm. “I promise.”

Connie’s arms circled her waist hesitantly. “Really?”

She nodded. “I promise on my life.”

She left them then and went to take a quick bath, then returned to her room. The place smelt like Sasha still, and her blanket was strewn across the floor from her tumble that morning. Mikasa thought about it, about her clumsiness and her red cheeks, and she wanted nothing more than to cry.

Crying would not bring Sasha back, though. So she didn’t waste a single second doing that. Instead she got dressed in dark clothes, slipped into her gear and snuck into the supply room to get new canisters of gas. With fresh blades and more than enough gas, she was confident that she could get to Sasha and back on her own.

It was a risk, but the longer they took to get to her, the higher the chance of losing her. Mikasa was absolutely done with sitting by as her loved ones died right in front of her.

She stood atop the wall, a cold wind sliding across her body. Her heart thudded hard in her chest, but she hardly felt anything. Just before she jumped off to the other side, someone landed beside her and straightened.

“You’re going after her?” Ymir asked her.

Mikasa clenched her hands into fists. “Are you here to stop me?”

Ymir didn’t look at her, staring instead at the dark horizon. “No,” she finally said. “I knew you would leave on your own to save her. It’s what I would do if Historia were the one back there.” Her look was serious and heavy, and she reached out to clasp Mikasa’s wrist. Mikasa blinked at her, confused, but she accepted the hold.

“You’re encouraging me?”

“I’m wishing you luck. I would go with, but I don’t want to die out there. I’ve got too much to live for.”

Mikasa sighed. “You always admit exactly what you’re feeling and thinking.”

“I gain nothing by hiding who I am. You should do the same.” She finally released her hold and dropped her arm. “You love her,” Ymir said. It was a statement, not a question. “So do everything you can to rescue her. We’ll celebrate when you get back.”

Once again, Mikasa felt the uncomfortable sting of tears, but she didn’t allow them to take over. She gave Ymir a sure nod, then took the jump and soared into the night. She had extra canisters strapped to her back. Once she left the walls entirely, she would be on horseback. If any titans were out there, they would be asleep or docile. If she could get to Sasha before morning, they could wait it out until night fell again. Mikasa could always try to take out all the titans herself, but she didn’t want to risk it.

“I’m coming,” Mikasa spoke aloud. “Wait for me, Sasha.”

She almost entirely made up her mind that the moment she saw Sasha again, regardless of their situation, she would tell her exactly how she felt. Their world was filled with sudden death and suffering. For once, Mikasa wanted to own her truth and her feelings, and see if she couldn’t get some happiness out of it.

But first, she had to save the girl she was in love with.

XxX

“Listen, Mister, ye can’t keep starin’ like that,” Sasha grumbled at the titan. She was delirious with exhaustion, so she had given up fearing the gangly fellow hours ago. She had scooted close enough to swat his hand, but he didn’t grab for her and his arm just swung back and forth. “It’s creepy.”

“Who were you, when you were still a person?” He groaned softly in reply. “Did you somehow understand that?” Silence. “Guess not. Hmm. Well, since we’re both here, can I tell you a story?”

“Rah,” the titan groaned.

“Cool. So, there’s this girl, her name is Mikasa. She’s insanely beautiful and she turns my knees to jelly. Every time I see her, I wish I could just kiss her, ye know?” She reached out to fling his arm again, and it just swung about. “I want to tell her, but I have no idea how she feels about me and I really don’t want to make things awkward. We’re roommates and all.”

“Aah.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s stupid to already decide that it won’t work out without even trying to tell her. But how do I do it?”

“Beh.”

“You think so?” His fingers twitched. “Maybe when I see her again, I should tell her how I feel. Just tell her outright, like Ymir would.”

“Raaah.”

Sasha finally scooted away from him. He stank really badly, and though he was warm, she didn’t want to risk stupidly falling asleep right beneath him. Once the sun came up, he would regain his energy and his breakfast snack would be a Sasha sandwich. Mm, a sandwich. She was so damn hungry that she wanted to cry.

As positive as she was trying to be, she could feel the fear and hopelessness creeping in. How would they even find her, if they came to look? She had flown so far away, finally crashed on the other side of the damn forest. She knew she had basically drawn all the titans away with her, so she at least hoped she had helped everyone get out safely. If that’s all her death contributed to, then at least it wasn’t for nothing. Maybe one day they would find her body here, and they would know where to take her, who to tell. Sasha wanted to be cremated, not buried. She wanted her ashes to be scattered in the forest she had grown up in, back home.

Eyes filling with tears, Sasha stood on shaky legs and started rifling through the mouldy boxes again. Maybe she could find a piece of paper that wasn’t too old, and she could write her last words on it. Write a confession for Mikasa, too. An apology to her parents and siblings. Her chest ached so badly, thinking about them and how sad they would be at her death.

Sasha heard loud stomping and groaning from above, so not all titans were fast asleep. Some of them had been smaller than the titan plugging the basement hole, so maybe it was to her advantage that he had decided to try and climb in. He was preventing the smaller titans from squeezing themselves in, or even a bigger titan from just reaching in and grabbing her.

Sasha imagined herself in the grip of a titan, popping like a water balloon when squeezed too hard. She gagged, suddenly no longer hungry, and continued her search. She nicked her hands on jagged pieces of wood, but she barely felt it through her fatigue and the cold. Her vision wavered and she stumbled, knocking a stack of boxes all the way over. Some fell right on top of her, and she just stayed on the ground, contemplating just letting herself fall asleep right there, underneath some musty boxes, with a titan keeping a keen eye on her.

_ No, _ she reprimanded herself.  _ Mikasa will come for you, and when she does, you need to be ready. _

That meant she couldn’t be this depressed and incapacitated. So she forced herself to get up, and tossed the pieces of wood off of her, but stilled when her eye caught something. Among the rotten wood, something gleamed with a rich, clean brown, and she eagerly closed her fingers around a beautiful bow. It had some wear and tear to it, but it was in fantastic condition, all things considered.

She gingerly lifted it and dusted it off, and it was absolutely beautiful. Where it was hidden was a basket filled with arrows, and Sasha sent a fervent thank-you to the universe. What were the chances that she would somehow hole up in a place that just happen to have the weapon she was an absolute beast with? Not many people knew, but Sasha could really shoot one hell of an arrow. With this, she could shoot Mr Creepy in the eye. Once he moved, she could try and aim for his nape.

Sasha grabbed her blunt blade that she had managed to keep on her and slid it into one of her straps. She had already abandoned her 3DMG outside while running, since it had just hindered her and caused a noise.

“I can do this,” she told herself. “I can totally do this.”

Sasha took in a long, careful breath, and then got into the perfect position and aimed for that lazy eye staring at her. When she released her fingers, the arrow shot cleanly from the bow and struck true. The titan groaned and groggily tried to swat the arrow away, shifting his position and rolling away from the hole. Sasha immediately rushed forward with her blade in hand. She climbed up the ladder and was up and out in seconds, but he was the only titan in the ruined cabin. The door was hanging open, and Sasha could see the others outside. She had to do this quickly.

With a grunt, she sliced his nape—feeling a little sad for it, after spending so much time with him—and then hurried to close and bar the door. The largest titan noticed her, but he was propped up against a tree and too relaxed to really care. His gaze drifted off to the sky, and it was as if he was in a wonderful, calming dream. Sasha envied him

Feeling more energetic than she had since that morning, Sasha moved the titan’s steaming body to across the room. She scoured the small cabin and found tins of food and piles of blankets. She gathered everything and took them down to the basement with her. She used some pieces of wood to secure the latch, so that it couldn’t be opened from the other side, then she made a bed in the corner of the room and collapsed. She felt so tired, and her whole body screamed at her.

Before she allowed herself to sleep, she ate. There was no water, and she would need to find some as soon as possible, but she at least had something in her belly and the promise of rest. With that, she curled into a ball and covered herself entirely with the blankets, just in case a titan got in. If they relied on sight, then she was well hidden. If they could smell or sense her, then, well, she was truly fucked.

XxX

Mikasa was almost stopped before leaving wall Maria, but she physically threatened the guard there and they let her on the lift with a horse. When she finally made it on the other side, her entire body was buzzing with restless energy. She set on a hard run, and she didn’t allow her poor horse to rest until they made it to the forest.

It was easy to find the area where the ambush had happened. A few body parts littered the ground with sprays of blood, and large footsteps had sunken into the hard ground. They were all over the place, though. Too erratic and chaotic to follow properly. Mikasa crouched on a low tree branch and surveyed the area, trying to think.

She remembered where Sasha had been last. She pictured the direction they had come and the one they had gone. Which direction had Sasha gone, though? She must have done so with her gear, so she would have covered a lot of ground. None of the remains on the ground belonged to Sasha, and her horse had been unharmed and spotless.

Growing frustrated, Mikasa remembered when she had been with Sasha in the woods by the castle, gathering woods. Sasha had seen signs of rabbits and had suggested they hunt for one. She had been so smart and enthusiastic about teaching Mikasa what to look for and how to track, and remembering that just made Mikasa’s chest ache. It sharpened her focus, though, and she finally noticed grooves in the trees leading away from where the attack had happened. She followed it, going deeper and deeper into the woods.

Eventually she saw a trail of blunted and broken blades, and her heart jumped in her chest. Sasha had definitely come this way. The footsteps had finally formed a trail, but there were so many of them that Mikasa was terrified of what she would find up ahead.

On the ground by one of the trees, Mikasa spotted the glint of metal, Her stomach plummeted when she landed and realized it was Sasha’s 3DMG, completely abandoned. There was no blood, though, which meant she must have dropped them. Mikasa crouched down and carefully moved the gear, searching for any sign that Sasha had been attacked. The gear was perfectly fine, and the tank empty, so Mikasa allowed herself to exhale.

It was in that second that a titan lunged for her, jaws open wide. Teeth snapped exactly where she had been, but she managed to lunge up into the trees just in time. Her heart was thundering hard in her chest, and she felt ashamed that she had allowed herself to get so distracted that she hadn’t even noticed a titan creep up on her. It was lethargic and whining, and it stumbled around as it tried looking for her. She killed it quickly and quietly, then got back into the trees. She continued following the footprints, but stayed wary of any sign of titans.

At last, Mikasa came upon a little home. It looked old and collapsing, but it was still standing and right at the centre of the titan horde. If Sasha was still alive, Mikasa had a feeling she would find her in there.

Mikasa landed on a branch, gas wheezing out of the canister. Soft rays of sunlight started spilling in through the thick leaves, and the titans were all starting to wake up. There were six in total that Mikasa could see, and if she wanted to get to that cabin then she needed to take them out.

The largest one got onto its feet, so Mikasa went for it first. When it slammed down with its nape slashed open, the other titans realized she was there. They swarmed her, and one managed to grab hold of her leg and toss her to the ground, but she cut its arm off and then its nape. The battle wasn’t long, and it was over quickly. Mikasa retreated to the trees to wait for any other titans nearby. She could hear them, their giant steps in the distance, but none approached. They must not have heard her.

Mikasa quickly dropped and hurried to the cabin. The door swung open on rusty hinges, and the inside was a mess. There was a titan corpse still evaporating in a corner, which gave Mikasa hope. She knew Sasha wouldn’t just go down without a fight, that she would stand up and hit back just as hard, and Mikasa’s chest filled with incredible warmth.

She searched the cabin and found nothing, but came upon a small trap door in the kitchen. She tried to open it, but it was jammed from inside. Footsteps were rumbling outside, and she knew she needed to hurry before one of the bigger titans spotted her and decided to crush the house. She strained her arms and tugged hard, and finally the door opened. When the heavy wood thudded against the floor, Mikasa dropped in without checking first. She was immediately faced with a sharp arrowhead, but beyond that was Sasha, and she froze.

They stared at each other, mouths open and eyes wide, and then Sasha dropped her weapon and Mikasa sheathed her blades, and they met halfway in a crushing, quivering hug. Mikasa couldn’t help but deeply inhale the scent of Sasha, and though she was dirty and covered in sweat, Mikasa never wanted to forget what she smelt like.

“You came!” Sasha croaked against her shoulder. “I thought a titan was about to get in.”

Mikasa held her tighter. “Of course I came.”

“How did you find me?”

“I tracked you, like you taught me.”

Sasha pulled back, and Mikasa noticed a lot of dried blood on her face. She lifted a hand and rubbed a thumb over the flecks of red.

“Don’t worry, just knocked my head. It’s a scrape, and it stopped bleeding a while ago.”

Mikasa could hear Sasha’s accent more prominently, and she couldn’t help but grin as she finished rubbing the dried blood away. Sasha studied her face with a crinkle in her brow, and then Mikasa pulled her gently in for a soft, tender hug, and she buried her face against Sasha’s throat.

“I thought I lost you,” she admitted softly.

Sasha’s arms wrapped around her and they were shaking. “I thought I lost me too.”

Mikasa pulled away. “Sasha, I—” She inhaled shakily. Her feelings were rushing up at her, threatening to consume her. Never had her fingers quivered so badly, and never had she been quite so lost for words. Instead of trying to speak it, she decided to show it and kissed her. Sasha’s lips were dry, but somehow still soft, and Sasha’s body almost melted against hers.

Sasha didn’t pull away to slap her or to reject her, and in fact she kissed back. Mikasa’s chest felt like it would explode, and when they stopped kissing she pressed their foreheads together.

“Mikasa, I’m pretty sure I’m very in love with you.”

Mikasa chuckled. “I feel the same way about you”

Sasha’s fingers trailed along her arms. “What? Really?”

“Sasha, I just kissed you.”

Mikasa rubbed her thumb across Sasha’s bottom lip, and she enjoyed the way she blushed bright red.

“Yeah, but I thought, like, you were just happy to see me.”

At that, Mikasa allowed herself to laugh. The tension had left her body, and even though they weren’t safe yet, and there were still titans outside, she was relieved and happy. Sasha was still alive and she was mostly uninjured, still her wonderful, goofy self, and that was what mattered most.

“I’m romantically interested in you, Sasha.”

“You… what? Wow. Okay. I mean, obviously I’m glad since I feel the same, but I never thought that you—”

Mikasa silence her rambling with another kiss, and they stumbled unsteadily against each other. They kissed until they were breathless and they needed to break apart, and Sasha pointed at the open hatch.

“We should close that,” she puffed out. “The little ones can get in if they try hard enough.” She pulled away to do so, and Mikasa followed behind her like a lost puppy. She slid her hand around Sasha’s and intertwined their fingers. Sasha glanced at their hands after closing the hatch, her eyes wide with surprise and awe. Mikasa gave her a little smile.

“We’re going to be stuck here all day,” Mikasa told her.

Sasha nodded. “Yeah. It’ll be safer to go out during the night. Did you bring a horse?”

“Yeah. She’s safe at the edge of the forest.”

“Did mine make it out safe?”

“She did.”

Sasha exhaled and smiled. “Good. I was so scared for her. Ginger reminds me of my youngest sister. I’d be so sad if I had to get another horse.”

Mikasa wanted to laugh at Sasha’s strangeness, but instead she tugged her closer just to feel her. “Did you get any sleep?”

“Not much. Every time I heard a noise I jerked awake.”

Mikasa spotted the bundle of blankets behind a stack of crates, so she pulled Sasha with her and together and settled down. She allowed Sasha to rest atop her, and when Sasha tried to get up, Mikasa wouldn’t let her.

“Relax and sleep. I’m here and I’ll keep watch.”

“Won’t I be too heavy?”

Mikasa ran a hand through her hair. “No, you’re fine.”

“What if you get tired?”

“Then I’ll just sleep too.”

Sasha quieted. She went so still that Mikasa thought she fell asleep, but she found Mikasa’s hand to intertwine their fingers, and gave it a squeeze.

“Thank you for coming back for me,” she said quietly.

Mikasa held her closer. She could feel the fear in her chest, the realization that she really had almost lost Sasha, and a single tear managed to escape. She wiped it away before Sasha saw it.

“Always,” she answered.

Sasha relaxed then, and Mikasa listened to her breathing even out as she fell asleep. She must have felt safe enough, because she barely even moved for the next hour. Mikasa could hear titans moving around above ground, but she doubted they would be found. She was just as exhausted as Sasha, since she had left the moment she could and didn’t take a second to rest.

They both needed to be awake and alert when they left, so Mikasa snuggled closer to Sasha’s warm body, closed her eyes and let herself drift off. Despite the danger and the still present anxiety, she fell asleep.

XxX

Sasha felt like she had been hit by a train when she woke up hours later. She couldn’t see it, but she could sense that they had managed to sleep through the entire day. Mikasa must have been just as tired, because she was still fast asleep. Sasha wasn’t accustomed to seeing Mikasa’s sleeping face, because she always woke up so early and left before Sasha got up. Now, she could see what she was missing.

The always serious face was smoothed out and peaceful, and the corners of her mouth twitched into a sleepy smile. Whatever she was dreaming about, it must have been good. Sasha realized she could just lay there and stare at Mikasa’s face for hours, but they needed to leave.

Gently, she caressed the side of Mikasa’s face. “Mikasa, you need to wake up.”

She woke immediately, grey eyes fluttering open in blurry confusion. Her gaze immediately zeroed in on Sasha, and she saw the moment Mikasa remembered where they were. Slowly Mikasa sat up and sought her hand.

“How long was I asleep?”

Sasha rubbed her thumb against Mikasa’s wrist—still in awe that she could do that now. “I think we slept the whole day. It’s probably night out, so we should go.”

Mikasa nodded and stood. There was no need to clean anything, since the place was clearly already abandoned. Sasha just made sure to keep the bow and arrows, and together they climbed the ladder out after Mikasa put her gear back on.

“I brought an extra tank for you,” Mikasa told her. “We should find your gear so we can get back to my horse quicker.”

Sasha nodded. They made it to the front door and Mikasa peered out. Here, it was a small clearing. The only light was the shallow moonlight, which meant that any titan hiding out in the darkness between the trees could snatch them up before they were even noticed. Sasha’s heart started to beat in fear, but she knew she could do this. She had endured much worse and come back, and she was stronger than this, than the stupid kid she had been when she had first joined the scouts.

“Get on my back,” Mikasa ordered softly.

Sasha scrunched her brows together. “What?”

“There’s a titan in the trees nearby, watching us. We don’t be able to run. Get on my back so I can fly us out of here.”

Sasha knew they didn’t have time to argue, so she did as ordered. Mikasa twisted the tanks so that they were across her chest, and then she unsheathed her blades and tested her gas.

“Ready?” Mikasa asked her.

The titan crept out of the dark, his face alight with excitement. He looked like he had just been told the best news of his life—Sasha supposed that to him, that’s what they were.

“I’m ready. Giddyap.”

Mikasa froze for a split second, then snorted softly. “Giddyap?”

The titan suddenly darted from the trees, and Sasha’s heart dropped into her stomach. “I’d explain but there’s no time, go!”

The titan lunged for them, but they were already in the air and soaring towards the trees. The titan crashed into the cabin face-first. What a shame, it was actually a nice place if it could just be fixed up enough to be lived in. Sasha made a mental note to tell Historia about it, maybe have her turn this forest into something the people could use.

Despite how much her gear, the tanks and Sasha must have weighed, Mikasa expertly weaved through the trees like they were nothing. She could feel the strain in her body, and she buried her face between Mikasa’s shoulder blades. They picked up her gear and Sasha quickly put it on in the cover of the trees, and with new tanks of gas she was able to transport herself. Mikasa gave her hand a squeeze, a small smile, and then they were off.

They could hear the titans in the forest, but they didn’t seem interested in following them. A lot were simply just dozing on the ground or hanging against a tree, and Sasha was glad for their inability at night.

When they finally made it out of the forest, Mikasa’s horse startled when they landed harshly beside her. Mikasa immediately hopped on and gestured for Sasha to slid in front of her, which she eagerly did. It was a bit awkward with all of their gear, but they didn’t have time to adjust or complain. Once Mikasa had an arm around her stomach, she got the horse into a run and then they headed towards the wall.

Sasha kept checking behind them, but no titan was following. The moonlight was bright enough that they could easily see their surroundings, and nothing was coming for them in the distance. It was an immense relief, and despite her solid amount of sleep earlier, Sasha felt exhausted again.

“You were amazing, Sasha,” Mikasa spoke after a long time of silence. “You managed to survive on your own.”

“It was just dumb luck,” she replied. “If that cabin hadn’t been there, I would have been titan food.”

“But you still managed to find it.”

“Just luck.”

Mikasa’s arm tightened and she bent down, pressed her cheek to Sasha’s neck. Sasha could feel her face heat up. She never realized that Mikasa could be such a physically affectionate person, she seemed so stoic and far away. But like this, with Mikasa’s frantic heartbeat at her back, her quivering fingers against her stomach, she could tell that Mikasa wasn’t the stony person she seemed to be. Mikasa had a soft heart, and Sasha wanted all of it. She wanted every aspect of Mikasa that she could get, and she would do everything in her power to deserve what was given to her.

“Mikasa?”

“Mm?”

“I love you.”

Mikasa pressed a soft kiss against her neck—a very sensitive spot. “I love you too.”

Sasha shivered and laughed. “If you kiss me there, you’re going to have to take responsibility.”

Mikasa went quiet, then her lips returned. The kiss she pressed there again was firm and purposeful, and when Mikasa lightly bit down on her skin Sasha’s entire body lit on fire. They were still riding hard to the wall, in danger of getting attacked by titans, and yet Sasha was still getting horny just from Mikasa playfully biting her neck.

“Is this okay?” Mikasa asked her.

Sasha laughed breathlessly. “If you’re trying to turn me on, then yeah.”

“Is it working?”

Mikasa’s hand slid underneath her shirt, warm fingers trailing across the skin of her belly. Sasha felt like a fire had been lit between her legs.

“Yes,” she choked out.

Mikasa made a noise in her throat. “Good.”

But she didn’t do anything more, just kept her fingers there, kept her lips caressing Sasha’s neck, her ear. When the wall came into sight, Sasha wasn’t sure if she was relieved or devastated. The gate was already open, and she spotted a group of figures all astride horses. Mikasa straightened, tucked her shirt back and sat rigidly.

Ymir was the first one to ride out to meet with them, and though she had on her signature bored expression, Sasha could somehow tell that Ymir was impressed. “You did it,” she said.

Mikasa’s arms around Sasha tightened. “I did. Will I be punished?”

“You should be,” Levi growled, coming up next to Ymir. “You could have gotten yourself killed.”

Mikasa stared at him. “I know. But I couldn’t wait.”

“Historia is furious,” Ymir cut in, clearly annoyed with Levi. “But you’re back, so I’m sure she’ll come around if you give her time.”

Sasha felt Mikasa nod, and then they drove in and hopped off the horse. Sasha was grateful, because she was starting to ache. Both from her arousal, and from the saddle. They would take other transportation to wall Sina, and it would be a few hours until they finally returned to the castle. Mikasa held her hand, and Sasha hoped she never let it go.

XxX

Ymir really tried her damn best not to show how happy she was, because she had an image to keep up. Historia wasn’t entirely pissed off at Mikasa as she was at Ymir, which was unfortunate. Of course the first thing Ymir had done was tell Historia where Mikasa had gone, and why. As soon as Historia finished her meeting with the rebels, she had taken Ymir to their room to interrogate her, call her an idiot and tell her that she should have gone with at least.

“But I didn’t want to risk dying,” Ymir had argued.

“So you’d rather risk Mikasa and Sasha dying?”

“Yeah!” she’d responded without thinking, then received a fat slap to the stomach.

But now, she was glad. Historia would come around, especially if she pulled out her puppy-dog face which made Historia absolutely weak in the knees.

Mikasa and Sasha seemed to have both confessed their feelings, and Ymir knew this because they were holding hands the whole while back, and sometimes they even made out. Ymir tried not to stare at them. Was that what she and Historia looked like to other people? She knew that a lot of people liked to talk about them. They were mainly jealous. If they looked this in love and into each other, then Ymir was pleased. She wanted everyone to know exactly how she felt about their Queen, and that she felt the same way in return.

When they made it to the castle, Historia was the first one to meet them by the carriage. Her face was flushed from running and her hair was still a bit rumpled, like she had rushed out to meet them first thing—and she probably had.

“You made it!” Historia all but yelled. She launched herself at Mikasa and Sasha, who caught her with laughter but surprised expressions. “I was so worried.”

Sasha looked a bit banged up, but they were both otherwise fine—just exhausted. Historia pulled back to study them, then noted their linked hands. When she turned to look for Ymir, her eyes were shining with joy, and she immediately walked over to pull Ymir into a tight, crushing hug.

Ymir easily lifted Historia off her feet and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “See?” she whispered in her ear. “I knew it would work out.”

Historia rolled her eyes. “Don’t pretend like you’re the reason they’re back alive.”

Ymir held her tongue. Historia immediately dragged the two of them back to the castle, and Ymir trailed behind. She was asking them rapid-fire questions that they tried to keep up with, and when Historia realized they were exhausted, she ordered them to bathe and then sleep. Once they were up, she wanted to speak to them again.

At the entrance of the throne room, Mikasa and Sasha left them to head down the hallway, hands linked. Historia sighed.

“I always knew they would end up together.”

Ymir wrapped her arms around Historia and rested her cheek against the top of her head. “Other people deserve to feel the love that we do.”

“Ymir? Are you actually being sensitive? And sweet?”

“Excuse me, I can totally be sensitive and sweet when I want to be.”

Historia laughed and turned around in her arms to kiss her. Ymir wanted to melt against her lips, but she held back.

“Do you need to meet with those idiots again?” Ymir asked.

Historia sighed. “I do. Sit in with me?”

“Of course.”

They entered the room together, Ymir’s hand tightly held in Historia’s. There was no place else she’d rather be.

XxX

“Ugh, I really need to wash up,” Sasha complained. She could smell her own sweat, and she was devastated that she had been in Mikasa’s arms for most of the day smelling like a hot mess.

“Me too,” Mikasa agreed. “Do you want to bathe together?”

Sasha’s heart jumped into her throat, and her arousal from earlier sprang back to the front of her mind. She remembered the way Mikasa’s lips felt on her skin, the way her fingertips grazed the skin on her lower belly. She shivered and nodded her head, silent. Mikasa squeezed her hand, and together they went to the bathing room. It was communal, with separate room specifically for the Queen—that she totally used with Ymir—but it was so late at night that it was empty when Mikasa and Sasha entered. As always, the water was still warm and steam filled the room.

There was a hot spring nearby, and the water was constantly fed into the castle to keep this room ready whenever the Queen desired a hot dip. It really helped that she was as generous as she was, and allowed all of the castle staff to use the bathroom whenever they pleased.

Mikasa started stripping immediately, and Sasha hurried to do so as well, though she carefully avoided looking in Mikasa’s direction. It all still felt so sudden and surreal, and when Mikasa quietly slid into the water Sasha padded over and joined her. The water was exquisitely hot and exactly what her sore and tired muscles needed.

“How does your head feel?” Mikasa asked, scooting closer so that she could gently prod the bruised spot on Sasha’s head.

“I’m fine. It really was just a graze. I don’t have a headache anymore, and no symptoms that I hit my head too hard.”

Mikasa nodded, dropping her hand. She stayed close, though, and their sides pressed together. Sasha’s face warmed as she imagined what Mikasa’s naked body looked like, but her nerves kept her from turning to see.

“You know, the first day I met you, I remember thinking that you really didn’t suit being in the military,” Mikasa spoke.

Sasha swirled her hand around in the warm water. “Yeah?”

“Mm.”

“Why?”

Mikasa turned and looked at her. The grey of her eyes almost looked like a dark blue, and they were exceptionally beautiful. Sasha’s breath caught in her throat, and she felt herself moving closer to Mikasa without consciously deciding to do so.

“You’re so sweet,” Mikasa explained. “And too pure to fight in the military. You brighten everyone’s day, and despite the horrors that happen to you, you never let that turn you into a dark and bitter person.”

Sasha’s heart fluttered. “My Pa always told me that my attitude was the most important thing, and that if my attitude stank, so would my situation. No matter what happens, if we keep the best mind set, it won’t be that bad.”

“Exactly.”

Mikasa smiled at her, and it was the most genuine, happy smile Sasha had ever seen on her face. Like this, she looked like what she was—a young woman. Not a super soldier hardened by war and death, but just a young woman, looking at someone she had feelings for.

Sasha was suddenly overwhelmed. Mikasa started to dip down, but Sasha beat her to it and they fell into a desperate, hungry kiss. Sasha ended up on Mikasa’s lap, uncaring that they were naked and Mikasa’s breasts were pressed to her own, nipples hard despite the warmth around them. She could feel the hardness of Mikasa’s stomach against her heated core, and it made her groan with hunger.

“Sasha, I want you,” Mikasa panted against her mouth.

Sasha physically shivered at her words. She found Mikasa’s hands in the water and pulled them up to cover her breasts, pleased by the sharp inhale Mikasa took.

“So have me,” Sasha panted. “Have all of me.”

Almost hesitantly, and certainly softly, Mikasa’s fingers closed around her breasts, and then Sasha’s breath was stolen from her lungs as Mikasa lunged forward, kissing her hard and intensely, and a tongue swept against her own. The taste and feel of Mikasa was everything Sasha had ever imagined, and more. She was firm and insistent, and yet still somehow soft. Her touch was like fire, and her lips moved like they knew the map of her mouth perfectly.

Sasha wrapped her arms around Mikasa’s neck to draw her closer, and couldn’t help but grind her hips. She must have been incredibly wet, and when Mikasa dropped a breast to dip her hand underneath the water to feel her, she groaned deeply.

“I’ve always wanted to do this,” Mikasa told her with a shake in her breath. “Is this okay?”

Sasha wanted to laugh, but instead she trailed her lips along Mikasa’s jaw and lightly nipped along the skin of her throat. “I said have me,” she groaned. “I need you, Mikasa.” She took in a shuddering breath. “Inside.”

Mikasa shivered, and then her fingers finally dipped lower and slid through her slickness. Sasha’s hips jogged and she dropped her head against Mikasa’s shoulder. The heat was gathering in the air around them, and anyone could walk in to use the bath after them. Sex was strictly prohibited in the bath, anyway, but they really didn’t care. A titan could be lumbering outside, and Sasha wouldn’t lift her head.

Mikasa touched her softly, sliding and prodding and rubbing until she found every spot that made Sasha moan, and when Sasha knew she was confident enough, she touched her firmly and with urgency, and then Sasha was bucking hard against her fingers as Mikasa eagerly rubbed at her clit.

Just before she came, Mikasa slid lower and entered her with two fingers, and Sasha’s whole body pulled taut and quivered. The fullness was delicious, and knowing that it was Mikasa inside of her made Sasha almost delirious. She moaned her pleasure up into the air as Mikasa gently thrust inside of her, rubbing up against her inner wall with expertise that even Sasha hadn’t been able to apply to herself.

When she came, she cried out against Mikasa’s shoulder and clutched at her, shuddering. Mikasa whispered sweet nothings in her ear and kissed the side of her face as she rode out the orgasm, and when Mikasa finally pulled out, she nearly fell asleep.

“Was that good?” Mikasa asked her, but by the little smile on her lips, she already knew the answer.

Sasha chuckled and kissed her instead, and then they washed themselves and dressed. They hurried to their room, eyes heavy and bodies sore. When they collapsed, it was atop Mikasa’s mattress, and Sasha cuddled close against her chest.

Despite their exhaustion, they ended up kissing and touching, and clothes ended up on the floor. Sasha found her way between Mikasa’s thighs, and worshipped Mikasa with her tongue. When she shuddered and cried out softly, Sasha crawled upwards to kiss her lips and let her taste herself.

“So good,” Mikasa groaned, eyes shut and sweat on her brow.

Sasha licked her lips. “I think you’re officially my favourite snack.”

To both of their surprise, Mikasa snorted rather ungracefully, and then they started to laugh. They laughed, then they kissed again, and after a while, they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Alive. Well. And most of all, content.


End file.
